Andrew Clements

Clements's family lived in several New Jersey towns before moving to Illinois when Andrew Clements was in the sixth grade. The family spent its summers on a lake in Maine with no television or phone, which Clements credits with giving him ample time to read. Clements studied English at Northwestern University and after teaching writing at several high school summer workshops, he decided to become a teacher. He earned his MA in teaching at National Louis University and then spent seven years teaching fourth grade, eighth grade, and high school outside of Chicago. He married and had his first son during this time. He and his family moved to New York City when budget cuts made it seem as though Clements's job wasn't secure. There, he briefly worked as a singer-songwriter and then entered the world of publishing. His colleagues in the publishing industry helped him write his first children's picture books and, after working on the idea for six years, Clements published Frindle. He's published a number of other award-winning children's books since then and currently lives with his wife in Maine.